Like every mother out there and every mother's mother, I can often be found spouting off the words "There are starving kids in <enter country/city/state on the tip of your tongue at the moment> who would love to have a nice hot meal. Eat your dinner!". Well, it is time that I put my money where my mouth is. There are starving kids all over the world. Kids who do not know when they are going to have their next meal...let alone a hot meal. Kids who have maybe lost their parents...kids who have to beg for a simple meal simply so they can survive.

How many times do we look into our overflowing pantry and still complain that there is nothing good to eat? Well, these children do not have the luxury of overflowing pantry's or the ability to make a quick jaunt to the store to buy what they crave. They simply eat when the food is available, which in many cases, is on a rare occasion. They cannot afford to be picky... whatever they get is what they take.

For the fourth year running, blogger Chez Pim is hosting the Menu for Hope. Last year Menu for Hope raised almost $61,000 to help fight hunger. I can tell you are intrigued. Keep reading to find out what Menu for Hope is and how you can donate as little as $10, earn the chance of winning some fantastic prizes (like the Breadman TR875 2-Pound Breadmaker, Stainless SteelI'm donating) and help a very worthy cause. What exactly is the Menu for Hope? (Scroll down to the very bottom of this post to see how you can donate and win!) In the words of Chez Pim:

Menu for Hope is an annual fundraising event in support of the UN World Food Programme. Five years ago, the devastating tsunami in Southeast Asia inspired me to find a way to help, and the very first Menu for Hope was born. In 2006, Menu for Hope raised US$60,925.12 to help the UN World Food Programme feed the hungry.

Each year, food bloggers from all over the world join forces to host the Menu for Hope online raffle, offering an array of delectable culinary prizes. For every US$10, the donor receive a virtual raffle ticket toward a prize of their choice. This year, the prizes include once in a lifetime experiences such as touring the elBulli laboratory with Ferran AdriÃ , dining on a historic British meal prepared by Heston Blumenthal, or joining Harold McGee on a lunch date to satisfy a lifetime's worth of cooking curiosity. You can also tag along with your favorite blogger on a tour of their favorite markets, restaurants, or even receive a care package fashioned especially for you from your favorite bloggers themselves. All you need is $10 and a bit of luck.

We may never eradicate hunger from the face of the earth, but why should that stop us from trying?

This year for the 4th annual Menu for Hope, we are again supporting the UN World Food Programme. WFP is the worldâs largest food aid agency, working with over 1,000 other organizations in over 75 countries. In addition to providing food, the World Food Program helps hungry people to become self-reliant so that they escape hunger for good.

With a special permission from the WFP, the funds raised by Menu for Hope 4 will be earmarked for the school lunch program in Lesotho, Africa. We chose to support the school lunch program because providing food for the children not only keeps them alive, but helps them stay in school so that they learn the skills to feed themselves in the future.

We feed the kids, keep them in school, and support their parents and community farming. This sustainable approach to aid is something we believe in and strongly support.

To help support this worthy cause, Dine and Dish will be donating a Breadman TR875 2-Pound Breadmaker, Stainless Steel (Prize number UC22). This is a great machine and it is extremely simple to use. If you have been too intimidated to make homemade bread in the past, fear no more. Use one of over ten different cycles to make the perfect loaf of bread you desire! $100 value, and shipped only to US addresses (sorry!). If bread baking isn't your thing, head over to Chez Pim to check out the other prizes being raffled off. You can also view the prizes by region. Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen is coordinating the prizes for the US Central region. Check 'em out! $10 buys you one raffle ticket and you can put that $10 towards prizes of all values!

I hope that you will help provide hope for this worthy cause. Skip Starbucks twice this week and you easily have the $10 needed to help fight hunger.

3. Please specify which prize you'd like in the 'Personal Message' section in the donation form (The bread machine is UC22). You must write in how many tickets per prize, and use the prize code. (Each $10 you donate will buy one raffle ticket toward any prize.For example, a donation of $50 can be 2 tickets for EU01 and 3 tickets for EU02. Please write 2xEU01, 3xEU02.)

4. If your company matches your charity donation, please check the box and fill in the information so we could claim the corporate match.

5. Please check the box to allow us to see your email address so that we could contact you in case you win.Your email address will not be shared with anyone. Check back on Chez Pim on Wednesday January 9 for the results of the raffle.

Reader Comments (3)

This is so awesome! I'm so happy this benefit exists -- hopefully, someday, it won't be needed, but until then, kudos to all who are behind it, and all who support it! It's really very generous of you to donate that super-fab bread machine! You have such a good heart! : )